The way my late, Great Uncle described his time: *"They came and we fought. They kept coming until we ran out of ammo, after which they stopped coming. But when came back a little while later, they had a tank. There was nothing to do at that point with no ammo and certainly with nothing that could beat a tank. So, we went with the only option we thought was left, and surrendered."* He didn't like to talk about St. Vith more than that, but he described captivity a lot better and more easily: *"Captivity wasn't hard. By that point, the only difference between a prisoner and a guard was the fact that one had a gun. And the only thing that would make a difference was if they found out you were Jewish."* He died back in 2017 and told me this back in 2013-14 so forgive me if I don't remember it right. Miss you Uncle AL, Hooah.
As a veteran of the Vietnam War, I can tell you, most battlefields are chaotic, confusing, and ever changing. Even with good communication, in large battles, it's difficult to know what's going on. I participated in the largest battle that took place in Vietnam; Lam Son 719, the ARVN invasion of Laos. I was on one of the V-100 crews escorting American and ARVN convoys toward Vandergriff and Khe Son. We were getting our convoys hit constantly, finally jamming Highway 9 to the place where troops and ammo couldn't be transported via trucks. Everything had to be transported by air. The ARVN'S WERE getting their butts kicked by a vastly superior force as they crossed into Laos. The battle covered a huge area, and all we knew is we wanted to get our assignment accomplished and get the heck back to base camp. We got hit by an RPG but we're lucky enough to get our wounded medevaced to a hospital ship and the rest of our crew to base camp. Battles are an engagement of unorganized grab ass.. You just keep improvising, adjusting, maneuvering, regrouping, fighting, and trusting that your Command and Control is making decisions in your best interest. Good Communication is vital. These World War 11 heroes did what was in the best interest of everyone concerned. Their communication was totally cut off. The decision to surrender slowed the Germans down, and saved lots of lives .
My ship was at Yankee Station running PIRAZ (Positive Identification Radar Advisory Zone) before I got to the boat. And long after John McCain had his Jun. 67' mishap on USS Forestall.
Green troops never been in combat getting subjected to that horrific action were bound to have trouble dealing with it. That would have been hard on seasoned soldiers. Whoever was responsible for not having those men equipped properly should have had a good ass kicking. Maybe he did get one. Thanks for serving in Nam. I hope your unit has a reunion, GO TO IT. It will be a healing experience.
I can't blame the regiments surrendering, no food, no warm clothes and in hindsight:a very strong winter with no chance of the wester us forces breaking out to relieve them.
It seems that everything I read about this says that the surrender was not the fault of the 2 regiments, but the fault of army command or possibly higher. Whoever made the decision to sent regiments of totally unprepared troops with fresh officers to a frontline position without any experienced supervision was insane. Of course the regiments performed badly, reacted slowly, and then surrendered, they didn't know what else to do. I guess that's why today any less experienced unit usually gets a lot of attachments from more experienced groups.
They were put on the line to gain experience and allow other units much needed rest and refit at a time when no one would expect a major offensive. The fact that the German attack sputtered out shows that the higher allied leadership made a fair assumption.
It was supposed to be a quiet area in the front were they could get experience. If they had known that this would have happened, they never would have been put there. Many things contributed to the surrender, not just one.
I think the experience and leadership wasn't that important a factor. Not having ammo, nor food (not even emergency rations!?!!) is a more-decisive factor, to me.
Like, I'm _pretty_ sure nobody wanted to go through training and across the Atlantic to get to the front, only to immediately give up, and sit out their entire part of the war in a POW camp. No young soldier would've wanted their war contribution to amount to that little (and the ones who didn't ever want to see the front at all probably found ways to go into the logistics and other support parts - only half of all assignments were combat roles, so there's plenty of other jobs that need doing). Also, surrendering is still risky - people can misinterpret intentions and/or panic, so you're betting your life on those particular Germans having an OK day. (these guys were cut off, so I'm assuming they didn't hear about Piper murdering the others, yet) In short, I see every reason to believe that those soldiers held out for as long as they possibly could. Hiding from artillery in a ditch, clutching your bayonet and waiting until someone eventually stumbles upon your hiding spot, all the while freezing and starving to death - that's not a worthwhile tactic. Any officers who took issue with the surrender, should go and chew yellow snow....
As Dane I have walked long distance around Bastogne and St. Vith. I also own Kurt Vonneguts fine, named book. They still have a German Tiger 2 in a small town, La Gleize, where it ran out of fuel and became sold to a local lady, before the crew walked back to Germany. Sadly I never realized it was there, during my walking years, but I have visited most of the museums and monuments round there, besides that.
My grandfather was apart of the 106th division captured here. They were sent to POW CAMP in Bad ORB GERMANY STALAG B . He spent the last 5 months of the war in the POW CAMP eating pine needle soup he told us. He told us his superiors were horrible and no one new what they were doing.
I have lists of dinner him and his buddies would write down to pass the time in the pow camp of what food they wanted to eat when they got. back to the states.
Pine needle soup sounds disgusting. Then again the there wasn't much food left in germany in the late stage of the war. Neither for the germans nor the allies. My grandfather who is german, was captured and described how all of the grass was completely eaten in the prisoner camps in which the german pow's were imprisoned. They also drank out of puddles or used their remaining clothes to get some rain water to drink. To be honest, when the war was over i think many germans simply would have starved without allied supplies. The first thing my grandfather ate when he came home was just bread. And it was the best thing he had ever eaten he says, weighing around 70 lbs as a full grown man back then.
A lieutenant-colonel who was one of those captured mentioned "green hornet soup", consisting of hot water, salt, turnips and maggots. There were arguments about eating the maggots. The lieutenant-colonel was an agricultural chemist in civilian life, decided the maggots were protein and ate them. US troops captured here often lost a dramatic amount of weight in their five or so months as POWs.
I remember a GI on 'The World At War' explaining that this sector was one of the quietest and so green units were sent to get a little seasoning. If they'd been given food, water and supplies to begin with holding out might have been an option but when a WW1 veteran says it's hopeless I'd tend to agree with his evaluation. Getting wiped out for a little prestige or surrendering and saving your men's lives. This situation isn't where you'd want to find out. You might be shamed, but still being alive is always better.
My dad was in the 423 inf. reg. of the 106th and was taken prisoner during the "Bulge", spending 5 months in a POW camp in Limburg, Germany. It really affected his later life and I truly believe that experience led to an early death at only age 51. Very sad about what happened to the 106th.
There is book about this disaster in leadership. It is " Death of a Division " by Charles Whiting. I read this in the early 80's and a few times. It was a combination command Charlie Fox and few combat commands holding their ground. The only thing I've read about in World War II that compares to it is Kasserine pass.
@John If you've read it, can you then tell me whether logistics was the main factor? Like, if they literally had no food or ammo left (and couldn't be reinforced by road or resupplied by air drop), then I do not see what they possibly could have done. And I don't blame them for surrendering. I blame the idiots who thought the front was quiet enough that they didn't have to prioritize the emergency rations and ammo. Anyhow, would be interested in what the book has to say about that.
@@MrNicoJac as I recall the division commanding general became emotionally overcome because his son was among the troops overrun. Add to his emotional state the complete confusion at division. Impossible to drop supplies due to weather. Impossible by truck because the Germans had them surrounded. Communications breakdowns, radio and phone. Command was overwhelmed by the velocity of the attack, contradictory information from the front echelon. Troops were largely green. A lot happening none of it good. When are you going to get over run it's not like you have guns pointing in all directions and you're in a big circle. Basically the enemy breaks through to multiple points and disrupts the rear echelon troops capturing supplies, ammunition, and medical teams. You got a bunch of guys out there shooting at you and not enough people are telling you what to do in leading you in the right direction. Basically when the division was overrun morale completely broke down. From commanding officers to the lowest private. Some battalions of this division fought hard but ultimately we're overwhelmed by the German to the 2 to 1 advantage in the attack. Again they were breakdowns in communications from the front line units all the way up to division.
A review of the 106th division revealed that over its history it had been repeatedly stripped of trained and experienced leaders. First the officers, then senior non commissioned officers, then sergeants and corporals. Many of the line soldiers were those not wanted by other units as they sent down the line as individual replacements. The expectation of higher command was that the 106th was a placeholder in a quiet sector. The unit did not have enough experienced members or enough shared training to maintain unit cohesion. This does not mean individual members did not fight or try to fight.
Seems it was a division for rejects, as Kurt noted. But then why did the Gen. put them in the front lines? Hmm, his son was in there. Guess nobody told the general.
That is mostly just fake allied war propaganda. This division wasn't untrained at all, in fact it was activated early in 1943 and had been training for more than a year. It also had a number of decent experienced officers. It was put on a quiet part of the front line so that it could get used to front line conditions. A common thing to do in every army in that time. The germans did it, the british, the french, the soviets and the americans. The blunder wasn't that this well-trained division with modern weapons and a good cadre was combat inexperienced. The blunder was thinking it was going to be a quiet part of the front. Amazingly, the same mistake the allies made in 1940. To be frank, the entire period starting from september until well into december doesn't reflect well upon the allied armies at all, mostly due to enormous logistical problems. For example, the airlandings at Arnhem. and the Hurtgenwald massacre were entirely wasteful, Especially the Hurtgenwald was a display of incompetence at every level.
@@ericvosselmans5657 Yes, With the great brush stroke of "just allied war propaganda" one dismisses the merits of Kurt Vonnegut's works and the experiences of those who were there. The fumbling allies and their incompetent logistics, not correctly proportioning the supplies amongst the theaters of war, the European theaters of the European plain and Italy, the Soviet and Allied Lend Lease, the Atlantic, the Pacific ( a small little ocean) and China. What fumblers.
@@lynnwood7205 Ok. You really took that completely out of the narrow context I put it in. How would you describe the allied war effort from september to december 1944 in North-Western Europe? I assume you are familiar with the Hurtgenwald battles which decimated a lot of experienced US divisions? The allies had troubles everywhere during that time, despite having an incredible air superiority of 20 to 1 and despite the enormous losses the German Army had suffered in 1944. The German Army lost more men in 1944 than the western allies on all front during the entire war.
My father was in the 590C FA supporting the 423rd. Although the 106th had been raided twice for replacements and had its combat deployment delayed for months as it trained up its new recruits each time, the last intake for both the 422nd and 423rd had been soldiers from the disbanded 138th Infantry Regiment, returned to the US after 2 years in the Pacific and 2 years of US service before that. These troops were not inexperienced. There were inexperienced troops in the support echelons but the pointy end was not made up of fresh cherries from mommy's apron strings. By coincidence, my stepfather was a member of the 138th from 1938, although he was in parachute school at the time of the Ardennes battle. Command issues are a different story. The previous division had fired 3000-5000 H&I rounds a day before the 106th took over. When the 106th continued the H&I missions, Corps told them to stop the missions and stop wasting ammo. Perhaps the best critique of the 106th came from the Germans themselves. Manteuffel said after the war on film that the 106th completely screwed up the German timetable. The German 18th Volksgrenadier Div bore much of the fighting but it was also not some slacker unit. It was the first VG division raised and fielded, and was heavily manned by retreaded Luftwaffe, Navy, and Marines repurposed to the Army. Typically these services had the higher quality recruits which made better soldiers and demonstrated a greater flexibility and initiative. Additionally, the head of training for the entire German Army had taken command of the unit and the 18th followed the "ideal" VG TO&E-new very modern design field equipment, smaller maneuver elements but all infantrymen equipped with automatic weapons like STG44s and SMGs plus a full complement of Stugs. It was designed to maximize speed and small unit combat power while saving manpower on the support service side-"lean and mean".
American propaganda won't give the successful German attack any recognition by saying they opposed inexperienced american troops. 26,000 American prisoners were taken.
Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5 is best remembered for the description of Dresden’s fate at the hands of the RAF, but the book is subtitled The Children’s Crusade for the youth of the 422/423. Lacking snow camouflage against experienced opposition, food & boots became more important to them than ammunition.
@@markaxworthy2508 I was recalling the book’s detail of the mornings after the night raids. Night raids are the RAF. The USAAF did bomb Dresden during this period, but Firestorm tactics with incendiaries developed from RAF night raids and helped to illuminate the target city.
That's why Ceaser was a true leader and general, he didn't point fingers and say go get em', no, he put on his red cape and said, follow me boy's. *I guess in Latin 😊
@@Otokichi786 The same French generals that thought tall feathered cavalry caps, blue jackets and red pants were still acceptable uniforms in the 20th century
"Like two wildcats in a bush..." *_He_* wasn't there, *_he_* had food, water, and ammo, and was safe, far behind the lines. *_He_* enlisted of his own choice, *_he_* wasn't drafted. What a tool.
Years ago I did some work for an older man. Who had gotten pneumonia the day before the German attack. And had been sent to a hospital in the rear. He said everyone in his unit was wiped out.
The stupidest thing that I cannot comprehend was that nobody thought that the Germans could repeat going through the Ardens Forest that was not defended against - Again.
The Germans do it with what? As far as the intel could tell: little fuel, little air support, the last dregs of manpower, logistics totally at the mercy of allied air-power and The Soviets pressing in from the East. Why would a 'rational' Germany do anything other than send most of their mobile forces east and have what could be spared to 'hunker down' behind the Siegfried Line and try to hold out?
Fellas, when you’re not wholly sure of what exactly you’re fighting for, the will to endure hardships, think clearly, and move forward with unyielding force wavers.
Going through the Ardennes in 1940 was stupid. It was however more stupid to not have anyone there. Going through the Ardennes in 1944 was also stupid. Here - there was someone there - and they stopped the last offensive the German Army was able to mount. Other differences between 1940 and 1944 were that the German Army was in much better shape in 1940 and was fully supplied with enough fuel to make it to their objectives. In 1944 - they were dependent on capturing Allied Fuel - which the Allies prevented them from doing. Thus - Piper's tanks all ran out of gas and were destroyed by their own men as the crews walked home. .
The 106th Division (most of it) was placed in a suicide position that assumed the Germans would never again take the offensive on the western front. Other parts of the 106th, and especially the division's artillery, took part in the defense of surrounded Bastogne.
@@markaxworthy2508 If you look at a map of where the 106th Division was positioned you instantly realize they were in a location to be trapped if the Germans attacked in any force.
@@markaxworthy2508 Do you understand that the 106th Division at the time was comprised of two (2) regiments of straight-leg (not mechanized) infantry? You are a fool if you try to compare the situation of two regiments with Stalingrad, etc.
@@markaxworthy2508 And how many Germans from the 6th Army ever returned home afterwards? Maybe 5-10,000, that's it. You apparently feel their stubborness was praiseworthy, others look at it as foolhardy. The 106 Division were almost totally green, they had nothing but small arms and no experience calling in Artillery or Air support, not that there was much of that available at that time. The best, most experienced US outfits had been pulled back after 6 months of hard campaigning for rest and refit in that sector. War is a science and retreat and surrender are reasonable actions rather than being slaughtered for no purpose.
One of My paternal Uncles graduated from Tamalpais High School in June 1944 and was a Combat Engineer in the 289th Regimental Combat Team of the newly arrived 75th infantry Division , nicknamed The Diaper Division by Nurses at their training Camp Hospital. They were rushed to the front , arriving on Christmas Eve 1944 in the area of Grandmenil Belgium and Manhay around Wolf Gap. That was where Richard Wiegand boldly stepped onto the roadway from his shallow fighting hole and alone armed and fired his bazooka at point blank range into the rear of a leading Panther tank of the Veteran 2nd SS Das Reich Panzer ( Tank ) Division, knocking it out and blocking the road. Weigand was disfigured and killed by being in such close proximity to the blast. I am convinced that His selfless action , disregarding His own safety to take advantage of a rare opportunity and realizing the importance of stopping the enemy’s advance down that road may well be one of the most significant events that turned the Tide of Battle and changed History. The Town of Grandmenil changed hands several times during sharp intense house to house fighting and in the surrounding fields and woods. But it was there that the vaunted SS were stopped cold. It was a real David vs Goliath feat of Arms . When You watch interviews on You tube like that of Richard Guetter who also went to Tam you will get a sense of the rugged self Reliance and independent nature of many of these generation who grew up Hunting and packing out Deer from steep rugged hills and working Hard. For those who grew up shooting high power rifles from a early age and taking large game they became very responsible and knew well the finality of their decisions. For the very young men of the 75th it was their baptism by fire and for those like My Uncle who killed their first Men the tears they shed were like baptismal water . They did not have time to stop and seek comfort and consoling . They knew the gravity of their situation and with earnest solemnity pressed on keeping to their motto “ In Around Over And Through” and gaining for themselves the moniker , The Bulge Buster’s. In no way do I wish to depreciate the Sacrifices of others who even though overrun , defeated and taken prisoner still fought Heroically. Its often the struggles that played out in obscurity from which no one survived that saw inconspicuous bravery by unsung heroes. The action at Parker’s Crossroads by Men of the 106th Golden Lions is also noted for being a significant factor in stopping the German Drive , changing the course of the Battle and the War. I will also point out that My paternal Grandfather had fought bravely in the Italian Army that was defeated by the Abyssinians at Adwa in 1896. He barely escaped capture with His life and was a decorated Italian Veteran who immigrated To the U.S. and in spite of bad experiences Here Raised the U.S. Flag every Day over His large Vegetable Garden and fruit trees. Also I suggest reading Paul Coelho’s Manuscripts Found In Accra for inspiration in trying times and defeat. This video really has generated a lot of insightful and moving commentary. All very good. I had also had the honor of meeting and doing work for a man who had been a lieutenant of Infantry in the 106th and He related His experiences to Me. Somehow in the course of Conversing about work He mentioned that He was In the 106th and surrendered . I said “Yes The 106th Golden Lion’s Infantry Division , General Alan W. Jones Commanding. You Should have seen the look of astonishment on His face as He said “ How in the hell do You know that? Nobody knows that stuff .”
Most of the experienced and seasoned US troops had been pulled back towards Paris for rest and refit after 6 months of hard campaigning across France. The units plugging those holes were largely green, inexperienced in combat and not versed in combined operations warfare. Some isolated groups fought as long as they could, but they didn't have artillery or air support for the most part and you can't fight panzers with rifles and hand grenades no matter how many numbers of troops you have. I think they made the correct decision to surrender, as it is they delayed the German advance westward by a day or two and that gummed up the whole Ardennes Offensive. My Uncle was in Patton's 3rd Army which was in the south and redirected north to relieve Bastogne and his outfit was seasoned and well equipped. The hit the Wehrmacht in the southern flank and drove right through them.
Okay lets just ignore the fact that 2 infantry div was right next to them and that they just took up those position barely 4 days before the offensive. And they also had 3 artillery battalions attach to them they also had AT guns, mines and bazookas. And they surrendered bcuz they ran out of ammo.
They were light infantry. They were the ones who didn't retreat. Not sure if that was their mistake or someone else's. If they couldn't call on air support, where in the hell were they going to get this 'combined operations warfare' support? My point is those who ended up surrendering were the ones who help and didn't retreat.
@@gotanon9659 They didn't surrender until all that other stuff was long gone. They ones who surrendered hadn't retreated. They got encircled and cut off.
Was reading a book on the Bulge, the telephone operator handling the phone conversation between the Corp commander and the Divisional commander, stated just as the two were discussing permission to withdraw, the phone connection was interrupted. Gen. jones never heard the ok, had he gotten that command, he would have withdrawn the two regiments. The third regiment and a variety of other units held the Germans in front of St. Vith for a week, disrupting the whole offensive, but all one hears in popular histories is the stand at Bastogne; nothing either on the stand on the northern shoulder of the front. Believe the 99th and another division prevented the Germans from rolling up the flank. Again, too complex for the popular history.\
@@markaxworthy2508 You ever try fighting Panzer groups with rifles and hand grenades, little ammunition and almost no food or fuel? Nobody can be blamed for surrendering under those circumstances, it's just common sense. They did what they could to delay the German advance, that's all that could be expected in those circumstances.
@@pimpompoom93726 Other people in WWII did continue to fight in such circumstances. The US situation here was not uniquely bad. Choices were made and, while doubtless pragmatic, they were not of the heroic variety of which legends are made.
@@markaxworthy2508 Warfare isn't Hollywood or Gameboy, it's for keeps. That's why top military officers study tactics at West Point and Sandhurst, because if it was all just gritting your teeth and beating your chest what would be the point? Dying to no purpose is not sound strategy, modern warfare is a science.
Very interesting episode. My dad, was in the 99th Division, just to the north of the 106th Division. In between the two divisions was the lightly armed 14th Calvary. The 99th was fortunate in that it had been in the line since October of 1944. The area was relatively quiet and offered a chance for the 99th Division to do some combat patrols and get use to life on the MLR. G-2 (intelligence) had told the senior officers of the 99th that there was one horse drawn artillery piece, across the line from their position. On the morning of the 16th of December, when the 99th and the 106th Divisions withstood the largest German artillery barrage on the western front, one GI in the 99th was heard to say, “ They’re sure working that horse to death over there!” When the 106th Division surrendered, it opened the entire southern flank of the 99th Division. With a “Strategic Withdrawal” to the Elsenborn Ridge and with reinforcements, the US artillery decimated the German advance. This and hundreds of actions by individual GI’s fighting a delaying action, the north shoulder of the Bulge held. Near the end of the war, the 99th Division, liberated the Moorsburg POW camp in Bavaria. Many members of the 106th and 99th Divisions that were captured during the Bulge were freed. Karma comes around!
Great companion video - as always, but one humble suggestion: If you have multi part episodes - designed to be viewed alongside the Operations Room video-series, please - make them more easily identifiable which episode goes to which one. Episode 5 on the OpsRoom - Episode 5 here. Sure, it's absolutely possible to do so now, but not everytime do I have access the website on a PC =) I appreciate the level of dedication, accuracy and overall production value tremendously. _Thank you for these (free) videos!_
They were send forward to block the German advance, without appropriate support. Cut off and surrounded, without food or ammunition, their surrender was inevitable.
If anyone can answer : How much are the right for archive footage, because he uses a ton of it (which is great btw, and always relevant to the subject).
@Jerown I could see how certain footage belonged to different nations, in which case US law would be irrelevant. And, since it's the US, it wouldn't shock me if a news outlet was bought by the competition after the war, and that that somehow reset the timer. Hell, there are probably a couple of private collections or whatever that picked up certain rights over the years....
What's pathetic for Hitler, was that even IF he succeeded with a plan that had zero chance of success and blasted through American lines and encircled the British and got to oil reserves and forced some sort of a cease-fire on the Western front, it STILL would not have stopped the Soviets from taking over Germany. The numerical advantage and experience of Soviet troops and the amount of equipment they were churning out by 1945 was just overwhelming relative to German resources.
@@Justin.Martyr I agree with the Nazis getting annihilated being a good thing but your attitude is akin to Nazis, to consider nearly half of the country as people who should be annihilated - Nazis also thought that all will be good if they annihilate Socialists and Jews. Only fanatics think this way
What baffles me is the relaxed and neutral demeanor most of the captors had for POWs on the western front during WW2. Unlike anything we witness today.
Kinda crazy that despite using poorly trained and inexperienced divisions so late in the war, the Germans were still able to execute "kessels" on such a scale.
Very true. Plus... most German units were massively understrength... with many cobbled together with Luftwaffe personal, rear area personnel, mechanics, etc.
These unfortunate men also had to endure the hellish journey to the pow camps which included constant hunger and thirst . Packed into freight cars for days on end and also being strafed and bombed by their own Air Force. The men who were blasted by .50 bullets received no medical attention but died in agony. War is truly hell on earth but mankind does not seem capable of grasping this.
Kurt Vonnegut drew a lot of inspiration for some of his best novels like Slaughterhouse Five and God Bless You Mr. Rosewater from his experiences as a POW in Dresden
I was estimating work for a future client in San Rafael Calif. about a year before I had purchased and read Death Of A Division. In the course of Our conversation We discussed His Life and as one of My Dad’s older Brother’s had been a combat engineer in the 289th Regimental Combat Team of the 75th Infantry Division We talked about the Battle of The Bulge. He said He was a lieutenant of Infantry in the 106th Infantry Division. You should have seen His face when I named His Commanding General and a few other details I knew. He said “How in the Hell do You know that, nobody knows that kind of stuff”. I explained that I had read the book and about My interest in the Subject . He said He and His men were cold , Hungry and out of ammo when they came to the top of a ridge overlooking a road with American tanks on it. The tanks fired on them because they found out later , the German’s had captured them. So they hid in brush atop that rise until many fierce looking Germans passed. When a older looking German came by who did not look mean He surprised Him by coming out and surrendering to Him. He said at first the German was very surprised with a look of fear on His face that quickly turned to happiness at His good fortune.
Two out of the three regiments of the hapless 106th "Golden Lions" Division were encircled, savaged, and their survivors forced to surrender. The third regiment succeeded in escaping, thus preventing the total annihilation of the 106th. The U.S. Army later reconstituted the 106th in early 1945 but its duties pertained mostly to guarding the hundreds of thousands of German POWs. After the war the 106th shuttled around between different locales, ending up in Puerto Rico. The division briefly returned to the continental United States for deactivation. The luckless 106th was not the only U.S. Army infantry division to meet a similar savage fate. During the bloody battle of the Hurtgen Forest, a Pyrrhic victory that accomplished nothing except the deaths of thousands of American G.I.s and thousands more wounded including those afflicted with PTSD, then referred to as, shell shock and combat fatigue. The unlucky divisions were the 28th Infantry Division and the 4th Infantry Division. Both were severely mauled to the point of combat ineffectiveness at which point they were withdrawn to the rear for reconstitution and rest. Eventually both divisions returned to combat, although reputedly still understrength. Decades ago a book was written about the 106th "Golden Lions" Infantry Division, aptly titled, "Death Of A Division".
I love your videos. Great quality (editing and storytelling). But in this video, the pronounciation of the german names is... let's say there is room for impovement. It's normal that you cant prnounce every foreign name perfectly, but putting the stress on the correct syllable is definitly doable. Historograph asks his audiance to record some of the names he doesn't know how to pronounce. You can here that he tries to pronounce it as acuratly as possible. I would love to help you with that! (but again: your videos are awsome! Keep it up!)
My Father was in the 10th Armored Division during the Bulge. The 101st Airborne got much of the credit during this battle. However, my Fathers unit, Combat Command B of the 10th Armored, held off the German advance for a full day until the 101st arrived.
9th Armored Division and it’s Combat Teams slowed the German Spearhead at St. Vith, hard battles at various choke points and bridges, gave General Eisenhower and Bradley time to Respond and contain the German Attack .
The Volks Grenadier Divisions were awful and had very young and very old members who had little to no training. The mention of the VG units charging forward screaming - those guys got slaughtered doing that. Hitler didn't trust the Regular Army any more so he formed new units instead of sending the men he used to the Veteran Units as replacements. He also liked having lots of divisions - so - he wouldn't disband units that had lost all their combat units. The combat units in a division - take most of the casualties - so you'd have all these Head Quarters and Support units left but the division no longer had any combat power. Not receiving any replacements for their combat units these rear area personnel would have been better used if the division was disbanded and they were sent to help fill out other units. Over all - for a nation with severe man power problems - in addition to intentionally murdering millions of their own citizens - they squandered their men and equipment in various units that existed for internal political reasons. The Luftwaffe for example - had an Armored Division ... .
I think you're being a bit pedantic here, a quick Google gives 78,000 troops captured in the fall of Baatan, 66,000 Filipinos and 12,000 Americans. Yes, 12,000 is less than 12,419 but just how accurate was record keeping in in 1862, or 1942? For Baatan the figures are fairly obviously rounded, if not actually estimates. It's a bit like the 'longest gunfire hit' in naval warfare, it could be HMS Warspite on Guilio Cesare, it could be Scharnhorst on HMS Glorious. Simple answer is we'll never know, we don't have the evidence to decide conclusively 🙂
@@gwtpictgwtpict4214 these nice round numbers sounds to me like a wild ass guess: "78,000 troops captured in the fall of Baatan, 66,000 Filipinos and 12,000 Americans."
My deepest disgust and loathing to the other US officers who wanted those cut-off regiments to fight with no ammo nor food. If you didn't even get emergency rations, there's really nothing you can do.... I do not blame General Jones for being left claw-less due to bad logistics.
An excellent day today. I spent far too much on a watch I don't need, then I got to watch several back-to-back videos of The Operations Room & The Intel Report.
Richard Matheson(1926-2013), the American author of "I am Legend"(1954) served in Europe with the US 87th Infantry Division, during the nazi Ardennes offensive. He later wrote "The Beardless Warriors"(1960) as a tribute to the heroic green warriors of the 106th.
Unbelievable, and in my opinion unacceptable lack of leadership that resulted in the surrender of soldiers faced with abandonment by their top commanders. Of course, I can only arrive at my conclusion from watching this film of the "debacle" without knowing anything about this part of the great battle known as The battle of the Bulge.
"Behind the mass surrender in Bataan during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines." I'm a Filipino subscriber, and I look forward to TOR and Intel Report videos on the fall of the Philippines, life as a guerilla fighter against the Japanese occupiers, and the liberation of the country. Would be nice.
The 18th Airborne Corps 17th, 82nd and 101st wouldn't have surrendered, and infact they did not. Their training and doctrine was to fight surrounded with limited supply and ammunition. Also they had the best leadership and were highly motivated.
Doctrinally and logistically a regular infantry division is dependent on a continued supply of everything. For example without its artillery having shells the combat effectiveness of such a division is a fraction of what it is meant to be.
This just illustrates the futility of war. Young inexperienced Germans, fighting young inexperienced Americans. Neither of whom really wanted to be there, fighting a war created by a madman.
UA-cam’s censoring of Nazi material has made the reality of the fanaticism shown in this video (H. youth bringing his trumpet to urge his comrades on) surprising when it should be taught in schools to get a better understanding of what really happened. Thank you for an historically accurate and engaging video!
you're videos are very entertaining and informative, however; I think your videos would benefit from you speaking in a slower cadance, as the constant stream of information can be a bit overwhelming, at least for me.
Never thought I’d hear of my hometown hero writer on the operations room, or adjacent content. He used to say the reason he was such a good writer is because he was ‘a boy from Indiana’ He’s simple and brilliant.
@@eegles Wow really didn't think I had to clarify such an embarrassingly simple idea, but his mentions of the Dresden bombings and the casualty numbers massively exaggerated.
Thanks for this brilliant battle report. But one remark as a German speaker, please learn how to pronounce German places and names, it would make a difference. Cheers
I think maybe about 24.000 Americans surrender in the course of the battle. This was one of Montgomerys biggest fears in the Normandie campaign. That German armour would get to the poorly trained and inexperienced American troops !
>"about 24.000 Americans surrender in the course of the battle" Not quite. That number includes losses sustained in the Ardennes-Alsace campaign as a whole, not just the Battle of the Bulge. >"This was one of Montgomerys biggest fears in the Normandie campaign. That German armour would get to the poorly trained and inexperienced American troops" Given that the German armor failed in the Ardennes, it's apparent that Montgomery's opinion of American troops were unfounded.
Not the first time we've had our asses handed to us, and certainly not the last. The trick is to wipe blood off your face (and change the underwear) and get back on your feet.
10:20 this would not be the second largest surrender in US Army history. The second largest surrender, and largest until the Philippines, was the surrender of some 13,000 men at Harpers Ferry on September 15, 1862 to confederate general Thomas Jackson.
@@Rusty_Gold85 I just don't understand why it would have that effect at all, on anyone. You're surrounded by people from your country, you speak the language of your homeland, you send and receive letters to and from home, you probably have a picture of a girlfriend from back home with you, and some of those same songs might get played when the USO comes along.
@@jdotoz You're sat in a hole in the ground, in freezing cold weather, short on warm clothing, food and water. You're far away from home, there's a bunch of people with artillery, tanks, mortars, machine guns etc who want to kill you and you can't understand a word the locals are saying. USO are nowhere to be seen and you're looking at a picture of your girlfriend. I can see that tunes reminding you of home could be somewhat demoralising.
imagine knowing you are rushing to a certain death but instead of complaining you pull out your Hitler youth trumpet and use it instead of a fire-arm, just to encourage your brothers who were probably feeling the same way as you...he took 1 for the team, that's how you win a battle.
@@BasementEngineer I figured thanks for telling and confirming I appreciate it! just Googled: the tower is actually named after the guy who designed it, correct? also there is one with a single "f" and AFAIK there us one with two "f" but I can never tell what's what
@@NorroTaku For non Europeans it may be difficult to remember the appropriate spelling. But as you found out, Eiffel is the name of the French engineer who designed and built the tower for the world's fair that year.
US casualties in the Snow Eifel vary so much in part because the figures of killed and prisoners used usually only cover the 106th itself and not the independent units attached to it (x2 artillery battalions and a tank or TD btn) which were also mostly wiped out.
The way my late, Great Uncle described his time:
*"They came and we fought. They kept coming until we ran out of ammo, after which they stopped coming. But when came back a little while later, they had a tank. There was nothing to do at that point with no ammo and certainly with nothing that could beat a tank. So, we went with the only option we thought was left, and surrendered."*
He didn't like to talk about St. Vith more than that, but he described captivity a lot better and more easily:
*"Captivity wasn't hard. By that point, the only difference between a prisoner and a guard was the fact that one had a gun. And the only thing that would make a difference was if they found out you were Jewish."*
He died back in 2017 and told me this back in 2013-14 so forgive me if I don't remember it right.
Miss you Uncle AL, Hooah.
As a veteran of the Vietnam War, I can tell you, most battlefields are chaotic, confusing, and ever changing. Even with good communication, in large battles, it's difficult to know what's going on. I participated in the largest battle that took place in Vietnam; Lam Son 719, the ARVN invasion of Laos. I was on one of the V-100 crews escorting American and ARVN convoys toward Vandergriff and Khe Son. We were getting our convoys hit constantly, finally jamming Highway 9 to the place where troops and ammo couldn't be transported via trucks. Everything had to be transported by air. The ARVN'S WERE getting their butts kicked by a vastly superior force as they crossed into Laos. The battle covered a huge area, and all we knew is we wanted to get our assignment accomplished and get the heck back to base camp. We got hit by an RPG but we're lucky enough to get our wounded medevaced to a hospital ship and the rest of our crew to base camp. Battles are an engagement of unorganized grab ass.. You just keep improvising, adjusting, maneuvering, regrouping, fighting, and trusting that your Command and Control is making decisions in your best interest. Good Communication is vital. These World War 11 heroes did what was in the best interest of everyone concerned. Their communication was totally cut off. The decision to surrender slowed the Germans down, and saved lots of lives .
You may not have heard this when you first got back, but thank you for your service
@@Ryuko-T72 I appreciate that, thank you.
My ship was at Yankee Station running PIRAZ (Positive Identification Radar Advisory Zone) before I got to the boat.
And long after John McCain had his Jun. 67' mishap on USS Forestall.
Glad you made it man, I get the chills just thinking about it.
Green troops never been in combat getting subjected to that horrific action were bound to have trouble dealing with it. That would have been hard on seasoned soldiers. Whoever was responsible for not having those men equipped properly should have had a good ass kicking. Maybe he did get one.
Thanks for serving in Nam. I hope your unit has a reunion, GO TO IT. It will be a healing experience.
I can't blame the regiments surrendering, no food, no warm clothes and in hindsight:a very strong winter with no chance of the wester us forces breaking out to relieve them.
I knew Vonnegut was a POW in Dresden but I never knew the details about where he was captured or how. Now I know.
My uncle,who was captured in Normandy on the 7th of June 44,was also a pow in dresden.His name was Clyde stover.
It seems that everything I read about this says that the surrender was not the fault of the 2 regiments, but the fault of army command or possibly higher. Whoever made the decision to sent regiments of totally unprepared troops with fresh officers to a frontline position without any experienced supervision was insane. Of course the regiments performed badly, reacted slowly, and then surrendered, they didn't know what else to do.
I guess that's why today any less experienced unit usually gets a lot of attachments from more experienced groups.
Welcome to the Army, where the screw ups of an officer will be deflected on a lower ranked officer or even the rank and file troops.
They were put on the line to gain experience and allow other units much needed rest and refit at a time when no one would expect a major offensive. The fact that the German attack sputtered out shows that the higher allied leadership made a fair assumption.
It was supposed to be a quiet area in the front were they could get experience. If they had known that this would have happened, they never would have been put there. Many things contributed to the surrender, not just one.
I think the experience and leadership wasn't that important a factor.
Not having ammo, nor food (not even emergency rations!?!!) is a more-decisive factor, to me.
Like, I'm _pretty_ sure nobody wanted to go through training and across the Atlantic to get to the front, only to immediately give up, and sit out their entire part of the war in a POW camp.
No young soldier would've wanted their war contribution to amount to that little (and the ones who didn't ever want to see the front at all probably found ways to go into the logistics and other support parts - only half of all assignments were combat roles, so there's plenty of other jobs that need doing).
Also, surrendering is still risky - people can misinterpret intentions and/or panic, so you're betting your life on those particular Germans having an OK day.
(these guys were cut off, so I'm assuming they didn't hear about Piper murdering the others, yet)
In short, I see every reason to believe that those soldiers held out for as long as they possibly could.
Hiding from artillery in a ditch, clutching your bayonet and waiting until someone eventually stumbles upon your hiding spot, all the while freezing and starving to death - that's not a worthwhile tactic.
Any officers who took issue with the surrender, should go and chew yellow snow....
As Dane I have walked long distance around Bastogne and St. Vith. I also own Kurt Vonneguts fine, named book. They still have a German Tiger 2 in a small town, La Gleize, where it ran out of fuel and became sold to a local lady, before the crew walked back to Germany. Sadly I never realized it was there, during my walking years, but I have visited most of the museums and monuments round there, besides that.
My grandfather was apart of the 106th division captured here. They were sent to POW CAMP in Bad ORB GERMANY STALAG B . He spent the last 5 months of the war in the POW CAMP eating pine needle soup he told us. He told us his superiors were horrible and no one new what they were doing.
There, pine needle soup. Something useful every day. Thanks.
I have lists of dinner him and his buddies would write down to pass the time in the pow camp of what food they wanted to eat when they got. back to the states.
Pine needle soup sounds disgusting. Then again the there wasn't much food left in germany in the late stage of the war. Neither for the germans nor the allies. My grandfather who is german, was captured and described how all of the grass was completely eaten in the prisoner camps in which the german pow's were imprisoned.
They also drank out of puddles or used their remaining clothes to get some rain water to drink.
To be honest, when the war was over i think many germans simply would have starved without allied supplies.
The first thing my grandfather ate when he came home was just bread. And it was the best thing he had ever eaten he says, weighing around 70 lbs as a full grown man back then.
A lieutenant-colonel who was one of those captured mentioned "green hornet soup", consisting of hot water, salt, turnips and maggots. There were arguments about eating the maggots. The lieutenant-colonel was an agricultural chemist in civilian life, decided the maggots were protein and ate them. US troops captured here often lost a dramatic amount of weight in their five or so months as POWs.
@@stevekaczynski3793 Well, as long as they were cooked...
I remember a GI on 'The World At War' explaining that this sector was one of the quietest and so green units were sent to get a little seasoning. If they'd been given food, water and supplies to begin with holding out might have been an option but when a WW1 veteran says it's hopeless I'd tend to agree with his evaluation. Getting wiped out for a little prestige or surrendering and saving your men's lives. This situation isn't where you'd want to find out. You might be shamed, but still being alive is always better.
My dad was in the 423 inf. reg. of the 106th and was taken prisoner during the "Bulge", spending 5 months in a POW camp in Limburg, Germany. It really affected his later life and I truly believe that experience led to an early death at only age 51. Very sad about what happened to the 106th.
Limburg is in the Netherlands. FYI
@@JohnSmith-un9jm FYI- there is also a Limburg, Germany in which there was a Stalag during ww2.
There is book about this disaster in leadership. It is " Death of a Division " by Charles Whiting. I read this in the early 80's and a few times. It was a combination command Charlie Fox and few combat commands holding their ground. The only thing I've read about in World War II that compares to it is Kasserine pass.
Which happened two years earlier.It seems the US Army has a terrible memory.
@@naamadossantossilva4736 armies in general have memory issues
@@naamadossantossilva4736 I prefer to think the US Army has a great memory...but it's REALLY short.
@John
If you've read it, can you then tell me whether logistics was the main factor?
Like, if they literally had no food or ammo left (and couldn't be reinforced by road or resupplied by air drop), then I do not see what they possibly could have done.
And I don't blame them for surrendering.
I blame the idiots who thought the front was quiet enough that they didn't have to prioritize the emergency rations and ammo.
Anyhow, would be interested in what the book has to say about that.
@@MrNicoJac as I recall the division commanding general became emotionally overcome because his son was among the troops overrun. Add to his emotional state the complete confusion at division. Impossible to drop supplies due to weather. Impossible by truck because the Germans had them surrounded. Communications breakdowns, radio and phone. Command was overwhelmed by the velocity of the attack, contradictory information from the front echelon. Troops were largely green. A lot happening none of it good. When are you going to get over run it's not like you have guns pointing in all directions and you're in a big circle. Basically the enemy breaks through to multiple points and disrupts the rear echelon troops capturing supplies, ammunition, and medical teams. You got a bunch of guys out there shooting at you and not enough people are telling you what to do in leading you in the right direction. Basically when the division was overrun morale completely broke down. From commanding officers to the lowest private. Some battalions of this division fought hard but ultimately we're overwhelmed by the German to the 2 to 1 advantage in the attack. Again they were breakdowns in communications from the front line units all the way up to division.
A review of the 106th division revealed that over its history it had been repeatedly stripped of trained and experienced leaders. First the officers, then senior non commissioned officers, then sergeants and corporals. Many of the line soldiers were those not wanted
by other units as they sent down the line as individual replacements.
The expectation of higher command was that the 106th was a placeholder in a quiet sector.
The unit did not have enough experienced members or enough shared training to maintain unit cohesion. This does not mean individual members did not fight or try to fight.
Seems it was a division for rejects, as Kurt noted. But then why did the Gen. put them in the front lines? Hmm, his son was in there. Guess nobody told the general.
It's frontlines without being a hot combat zone. That's why there's a ton of green guys to gain experience a lil safer
That is mostly just fake allied war propaganda. This division wasn't untrained at all, in fact it was activated early in 1943 and had been training for more than a year. It also had a number of decent experienced officers. It was put on a quiet part of the front line so that it could get used to front line conditions. A common thing to do in every army in that time. The germans did it, the british, the french, the soviets and the americans.
The blunder wasn't that this well-trained division with modern weapons and a good cadre was combat inexperienced. The blunder was thinking it was going to be a quiet part of the front. Amazingly, the same mistake the allies made in 1940.
To be frank, the entire period starting from september until well into december doesn't reflect well upon the allied armies at all, mostly due to enormous logistical problems.
For example, the airlandings at Arnhem. and the Hurtgenwald massacre were entirely wasteful, Especially the Hurtgenwald was a display of incompetence at every level.
@@ericvosselmans5657 Yes,
With the great brush stroke of "just allied war propaganda" one dismisses the merits of Kurt Vonnegut's works and the experiences of those who were there.
The fumbling allies and their incompetent logistics, not correctly proportioning the supplies amongst the theaters of war, the European theaters of the European plain and Italy, the Soviet and Allied Lend Lease, the Atlantic, the Pacific ( a small little ocean) and China.
What fumblers.
@@lynnwood7205 Ok. You really took that completely out of the narrow context I put it in. How would you describe the allied war effort from september to december 1944 in North-Western Europe? I assume you are familiar with the Hurtgenwald battles which decimated a lot of experienced US divisions?
The allies had troubles everywhere during that time, despite having an incredible air superiority of 20 to 1 and despite the enormous losses the German Army had suffered in 1944. The German Army lost more men in 1944 than the western allies on all front during the entire war.
My father was in the 590C FA supporting the 423rd. Although the 106th had been raided twice for replacements and had its combat deployment delayed for months as it trained up its new recruits each time, the last intake for both the 422nd and 423rd had been soldiers from the disbanded 138th Infantry Regiment, returned to the US after 2 years in the Pacific and 2 years of US service before that. These troops were not inexperienced. There were inexperienced troops in the support echelons but the pointy end was not made up of fresh cherries from mommy's apron strings. By coincidence, my stepfather was a member of the 138th from 1938, although he was in parachute school at the time of the Ardennes battle.
Command issues are a different story. The previous division had fired 3000-5000 H&I rounds a day before the 106th took over. When the 106th continued the H&I missions, Corps told them to stop the missions and stop wasting ammo.
Perhaps the best critique of the 106th came from the Germans themselves. Manteuffel said after the war on film that the 106th completely screwed up the German timetable.
The German 18th Volksgrenadier Div bore much of the fighting but it was also not some slacker unit. It was the first VG division raised and fielded, and was heavily manned by retreaded Luftwaffe, Navy, and Marines repurposed to the Army. Typically these services had the higher quality recruits which made better soldiers and demonstrated a greater flexibility and initiative. Additionally, the head of training for the entire German Army had taken command of the unit and the 18th followed the "ideal" VG TO&E-new very modern design field equipment, smaller maneuver elements but all infantrymen equipped with automatic weapons like STG44s and SMGs plus a full complement of Stugs. It was designed to maximize speed and small unit combat power while saving manpower on the support service side-"lean and mean".
American propaganda won't give the successful German attack any recognition by saying they opposed inexperienced american troops. 26,000 American prisoners were taken.
Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5 is best remembered for the description of Dresden’s fate at the hands of the RAF, but the book is subtitled The Children’s Crusade for the youth of the 422/423. Lacking snow camouflage against experienced opposition, food & boots became more important to them than ammunition.
You say, "Dresden's fate at the hands of the RAF" So the USAAF wasn't involved?
@@markaxworthy2508 I was recalling the book’s detail of the mornings after the night raids. Night raids are the RAF. The USAAF did bomb Dresden during this period, but Firestorm tactics with incendiaries developed from RAF night raids and helped to illuminate the target city.
@@MsZeeZed To isolate the first RAF night raid from the follow on USAAF raids is artificial. It was one target, one battle and one effort.
@@mcs699 I am sure I can, but that is relevant how?
@@mcs699 To be able to admit a mistake publicly is admirable. You have my respect!
Officers safe in a mansion far to the rear complaining that the men didn’t fight hard enough
Something that unfortunately is common in wars…
Ranks with "Noble" French Generals commanding from their way behind the lines Chateaux in World War I.
While having been unable to insure that their frontline troops had even a days worth of spare food/water, embarrassing "leadership".
That's why Ceaser was a true leader and general, he didn't point fingers and say go get em', no, he put on his red cape and said, follow me boy's. *I guess in Latin 😊
@@Otokichi786
The same French generals that thought tall feathered cavalry caps, blue jackets and red pants were still acceptable uniforms in the 20th century
Treating us like gods with all the videos right now
"Like two wildcats in a bush..." *_He_* wasn't there, *_he_* had food, water, and ammo, and was safe, far behind the lines. *_He_* enlisted of his own choice, *_he_* wasn't drafted. What a tool.
Years ago I did some work for an older man. Who had gotten pneumonia the day before the German attack. And had been sent to a hospital in the rear. He said everyone in his unit was wiped out.
I had no idea Kurt Vonnegut was there. That’s awesome you included that
The stupidest thing that I cannot comprehend was that nobody thought that the Germans could repeat going through the Ardens Forest that was not defended against - Again.
I constantly see again and again in this where the US Army have short memories
The Germans do it with what? As far as the intel could tell: little fuel, little air support, the last dregs of manpower, logistics totally at the mercy of allied air-power and The Soviets pressing in from the East. Why would a 'rational' Germany do anything other than send most of their mobile forces east and have what could be spared to 'hunker down' behind the Siegfried Line and try to hold out?
Fellas, when you’re not wholly sure of what exactly you’re fighting for, the will to endure hardships, think clearly, and move forward with unyielding force wavers.
Going through the Ardennes in 1940 was stupid. It was however more stupid to not have anyone there.
Going through the Ardennes in 1944 was also stupid. Here - there was someone there - and they stopped the last offensive the German Army was able to mount.
Other differences between 1940 and 1944 were that the German Army was in much better shape in 1940 and was fully supplied with enough fuel to make it to their objectives. In 1944 - they were dependent on capturing Allied Fuel - which the Allies prevented them from doing. Thus - Piper's tanks all ran out of gas and were destroyed by their own men as the crews walked home.
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@@BobSmith-dk8nw Thanks for the comments.
Easily one of the best channels on UA-cam rn. You guys do such a fantastic work, keep it up!
Great work, as always!
The 106th Division (most of it) was placed in a suicide position that assumed the Germans would never again take the offensive on the western front. Other parts of the 106th, and especially the division's artillery, took part in the defense of surrounded Bastogne.
So they shouldn't have made that wrong assumption, surely?
@@markaxworthy2508 If you look at a map of where the 106th Division was positioned you instantly realize they were in a location to be trapped if the Germans attacked in any force.
@@barryfletcher7136 The same could be said of Demyansk, Stalingrad or Korsun but the Germans held out in winter encirclement for weeks and months.
@@markaxworthy2508 Do you understand that the 106th Division at the time was comprised of two (2) regiments of straight-leg (not mechanized) infantry? You are a fool if you try to compare the situation of two regiments with Stalingrad, etc.
@@markaxworthy2508 And how many Germans from the 6th Army ever returned home afterwards? Maybe 5-10,000, that's it. You apparently feel their stubborness was praiseworthy, others look at it as foolhardy. The 106 Division were almost totally green, they had nothing but small arms and no experience calling in Artillery or Air support, not that there was much of that available at that time. The best, most experienced US outfits had been pulled back after 6 months of hard campaigning for rest and refit in that sector. War is a science and retreat and surrender are reasonable actions rather than being slaughtered for no purpose.
One of My paternal Uncles graduated from Tamalpais High School in June 1944 and was a Combat Engineer in the 289th Regimental Combat Team of the newly arrived 75th infantry Division , nicknamed The Diaper Division by Nurses at their training Camp Hospital. They were rushed to the front , arriving on Christmas Eve 1944 in the area of Grandmenil Belgium and Manhay around Wolf Gap. That was where Richard Wiegand boldly stepped onto the roadway from his shallow fighting hole and alone armed and fired his bazooka at point blank range into the rear of a leading Panther tank of the Veteran 2nd SS Das Reich Panzer ( Tank ) Division, knocking it out and blocking the road. Weigand was disfigured and killed by being in such close proximity to the blast. I am convinced that His selfless action , disregarding His own safety to take advantage of a rare opportunity and realizing the importance of stopping the enemy’s advance down that road may well be one of the most significant events that turned the Tide of Battle and changed History. The Town of Grandmenil changed hands several times during sharp intense house to house fighting and in the surrounding fields and woods. But it was there that the vaunted SS were stopped cold. It was a real David vs Goliath feat of Arms . When You watch interviews on You tube like that of Richard Guetter who also went to Tam you will get a sense of the rugged self Reliance and independent nature of many of these generation who grew up Hunting and packing out Deer from steep rugged hills and working Hard. For those who grew up shooting high power rifles from a early age and taking large game they became very responsible and knew well the finality of their decisions. For the very young men of the 75th it was their baptism by fire and for those like My Uncle who killed their first Men the tears they shed were like baptismal water . They did not have time to stop and seek comfort and consoling . They knew the gravity of their situation and with earnest solemnity pressed on keeping to their motto “ In Around Over And Through” and gaining for themselves the moniker , The Bulge Buster’s. In no way do I wish to depreciate the Sacrifices of others who even though overrun , defeated and taken prisoner still fought Heroically. Its often the struggles that played out in obscurity from which no one survived that saw inconspicuous bravery by unsung heroes. The action at Parker’s Crossroads by Men of the 106th Golden Lions is also noted for being a significant factor in stopping the German Drive , changing the course of the Battle and the War. I will also point out that My paternal Grandfather had fought bravely in the Italian Army that was defeated by the Abyssinians at Adwa in 1896. He barely escaped capture with His life and was a decorated Italian Veteran who immigrated To the U.S. and in spite of bad experiences Here Raised the U.S. Flag every Day over His large Vegetable Garden and fruit trees. Also I suggest reading Paul Coelho’s Manuscripts Found In Accra for inspiration in trying times and defeat. This video really has generated a lot of insightful and moving commentary. All very good. I had also had the honor of meeting and doing work for a man who had been a lieutenant of Infantry in the 106th and He related His experiences to Me. Somehow in the course of Conversing about work He mentioned that He was In the 106th and surrendered . I said “Yes The 106th Golden Lion’s Infantry Division , General Alan W. Jones Commanding. You Should have seen the look of astonishment on His face as He said “ How in the hell do You know that? Nobody knows that stuff .”
Most of the experienced and seasoned US troops had been pulled back towards Paris for rest and refit after 6 months of hard campaigning across France. The units plugging those holes were largely green, inexperienced in combat and not versed in combined operations warfare. Some isolated groups fought as long as they could, but they didn't have artillery or air support for the most part and you can't fight panzers with rifles and hand grenades no matter how many numbers of troops you have. I think they made the correct decision to surrender, as it is they delayed the German advance westward by a day or two and that gummed up the whole Ardennes Offensive. My Uncle was in Patton's 3rd Army which was in the south and redirected north to relieve Bastogne and his outfit was seasoned and well equipped. The hit the Wehrmacht in the southern flank and drove right through them.
Okay lets just ignore the fact that 2 infantry div was right next to them and that they just took up those position barely 4 days before the offensive. And they also had 3 artillery battalions attach to them they also had AT guns, mines and bazookas. And they surrendered bcuz they ran out of ammo.
They were light infantry. They were the ones who didn't retreat. Not sure if that was their mistake or someone else's. If they couldn't call on air support, where in the hell were they going to get this 'combined operations warfare' support? My point is those who ended up surrendering were the ones who help and didn't retreat.
@@gotanon9659 They didn't surrender until all that other stuff was long gone. They ones who surrendered hadn't retreated. They got encircled and cut off.
Was reading a book on the Bulge, the telephone operator handling the phone conversation between the Corp commander and the Divisional commander, stated just as the two were discussing permission to withdraw, the phone connection was interrupted. Gen. jones never heard the ok, had he gotten that command, he would have withdrawn the two regiments. The third regiment and a variety of other units held the Germans in front of St. Vith for a week, disrupting the whole offensive, but all one hears in popular histories is the stand at Bastogne; nothing either on the stand on the northern shoulder of the front. Believe the 99th and another division prevented the Germans from rolling up the flank. Again, too complex for the popular history.\
Yes, people tend to forget the ones who lose a battle but whose sacrifices actually help for the larger battle to be one.
No blame can be attached to the 2 regiments. RIP to all dead on all sides.
Of course blame can be attached to the two regiments, just not all of it.
@@markaxworthy2508 You ever try fighting Panzer groups with rifles and hand grenades, little ammunition and almost no food or fuel? Nobody can be blamed for surrendering under those circumstances, it's just common sense. They did what they could to delay the German advance, that's all that could be expected in those circumstances.
@@pimpompoom93726 Other people in WWII did continue to fight in such circumstances. The US situation here was not uniquely bad. Choices were made and, while doubtless pragmatic, they were not of the heroic variety of which legends are made.
@@markaxworthy2508 Warfare isn't Hollywood or Gameboy, it's for keeps. That's why top military officers study tactics at West Point and Sandhurst, because if it was all just gritting your teeth and beating your chest what would be the point? Dying to no purpose is not sound strategy, modern warfare is a science.
@@mcs699 Thank you very much for that on-thread, well thought out, intellectually solid contribution.
Very interesting episode. My dad, was in the 99th Division, just to the north of the 106th Division. In between the two divisions was the lightly armed 14th Calvary.
The 99th was fortunate in that it had been in the line since October of 1944. The area was relatively quiet and offered a chance for the 99th Division to do some combat patrols and get use to life on the MLR. G-2 (intelligence) had told the senior officers of the 99th that there was one horse drawn artillery piece, across the line from their position.
On the morning of the 16th of December, when the 99th and the 106th Divisions withstood the largest German artillery barrage on the western front, one GI in the 99th was heard to say, “ They’re sure working that horse to death over there!”
When the 106th Division surrendered, it opened the entire southern flank of the 99th Division. With a “Strategic Withdrawal” to the Elsenborn Ridge and with reinforcements, the US artillery decimated the German advance. This and hundreds of actions by individual GI’s fighting a delaying action, the north shoulder of the Bulge held.
Near the end of the war, the 99th Division, liberated the Moorsburg POW camp in Bavaria. Many members of the 106th and 99th Divisions that were captured during the Bulge were freed. Karma comes around!
Great companion video - as always, but one humble suggestion: If you have multi part episodes - designed to be viewed alongside the Operations Room video-series, please - make them more easily identifiable which episode goes to which one. Episode 5 on the OpsRoom - Episode 5 here. Sure, it's absolutely possible to do so now, but not everytime do I have access the website on a PC =)
I appreciate the level of dedication, accuracy and overall production value tremendously. _Thank you for these (free) videos!_
They were send forward to block the German advance, without appropriate support. Cut off and surrounded, without food or ammunition, their surrender was inevitable.
I read Slaughterhosue Five for the first time this past summer. Probably the most heartbreaking book I've read in years
It's also a massive exaggeration and the POS later apologized for his bullshittery.
@@TheSolongsidekick Its not a fucking documentary but a novel dickhead
"so it goes". Yes, heartbreaking!
If anyone can answer : How much are the right for archive footage, because he uses a ton of it (which is great btw, and always relevant to the subject).
Sometimes there is no associated cost. You can usually use anything a US combat photographer took for free, not sure about German video
I believe most of if not all is public domain from the National Archives. Some news reels might still belong to the news corporation.
@@timf2279 USA national archives, yes. I heard this on Simon Whistler's channels.
Should all be public domain. Its been over 75 years so most of it lost its rights or censorship, not sure what the legality exactly
@Jerown
I could see how certain footage belonged to different nations, in which case US law would be irrelevant.
And, since it's the US, it wouldn't shock me if a news outlet was bought by the competition after the war, and that that somehow reset the timer.
Hell, there are probably a couple of private collections or whatever that picked up certain rights over the years....
What's pathetic for Hitler, was that even IF he succeeded with a plan that had zero chance of success and blasted through American lines and encircled the British and got to oil reserves and forced some sort of a cease-fire on the Western front, it STILL would not have stopped the Soviets from taking over Germany. The numerical advantage and experience of Soviet troops and the amount of equipment they were churning out by 1945 was just overwhelming relative to German resources.
No no no. Hitler e pected the unholy aliance of Roosevelt churchill with Stalin to fail the grand alliance fighting each other
*I'm just GLad that the Nazis got Annihilated by the MiLLions!!!*
*Now, we Need to CLean OUT the TrumpNazis!!!*
@@Justin.Martyr I agree with the Nazis getting annihilated being a good thing but your attitude is akin to Nazis, to consider nearly half of the country as people who should be annihilated - Nazis also thought that all will be good if they annihilate Socialists and Jews. Only fanatics think this way
What baffles me is the relaxed and neutral demeanor most of the captors had for POWs on the western front during WW2. Unlike anything we witness today.
Selection bias, you're looking at propaganda footage, people back then didn't record war crimes with iPhones
Today, every front is the Eastern Front.
Less cameras means only POWs getting filmed are part of propaganda efforts which means the soldiers are on orders to act different
How do you figure?
@@oLevLovesLove Every front is like the eastern front? Where are POWs executed en masse?
Kinda crazy that despite using poorly trained and inexperienced divisions so late in the war, the Germans were still able to execute "kessels" on such a scale.
Very true. Plus... most German units were massively understrength... with many cobbled together with Luftwaffe personal, rear area personnel, mechanics, etc.
What is a “Kessel”? Tnx…..
@@vonzigle literally means "cauldron" but its short for German "Kesselschlacht" , aka "Cauldron battle" or "battle of encirclement"
@@DD-qw4fz I've also heard it translated as 'kettle', so again, a cooking pot.
None of their attacks held up under fire tho
These unfortunate men also had to endure the hellish journey to the pow camps which included constant hunger and thirst .
Packed into freight cars for days on end and also being strafed and bombed by their own Air Force.
The men who were blasted by .50 bullets received no medical attention but died in agony.
War is truly hell on earth but mankind does not seem capable of grasping this.
Kurt Vonnegut drew a lot of inspiration for some of his best novels like Slaughterhouse Five and God Bless You Mr. Rosewater from his experiences as a POW in Dresden
Nuts!
I was estimating work for a future client in San Rafael Calif. about a year before I had purchased and read Death Of A Division. In the course of Our conversation We discussed His Life and as one of My Dad’s older Brother’s had been a combat engineer in the 289th Regimental Combat Team of the 75th Infantry Division We talked about the Battle of The Bulge. He said He was a lieutenant of Infantry in the 106th Infantry Division. You should have seen His face when I named His Commanding General and a few other details I knew. He said “How in the Hell do You know that, nobody knows that kind of stuff”. I explained that I had read the book and about My interest in the Subject . He said He and His men were cold , Hungry and out of ammo when they came to the top of a ridge overlooking a road with American tanks on it. The tanks fired on them because they found out later , the German’s had captured them. So they hid in brush atop that rise until many fierce looking Germans passed. When a older looking German came by who did not look mean He surprised Him by coming out and surrendering to Him. He said at first the German was very surprised with a look of fear on His face that quickly turned to happiness at His good fortune.
"sir, I was shot in the hand"
"pack in the trench, we are surrounded"
"bruh"
Two out of the three regiments of the hapless 106th "Golden Lions" Division were encircled, savaged, and their survivors forced to surrender. The third regiment succeeded in escaping, thus preventing the total annihilation of the 106th. The U.S. Army later reconstituted the 106th in early 1945 but its duties pertained mostly to guarding the hundreds of thousands of German POWs. After the war the 106th shuttled around between different locales, ending up in Puerto Rico. The division briefly returned to the continental United States for deactivation.
The luckless 106th was not the only U.S. Army infantry division to meet a similar savage fate. During the bloody battle of the Hurtgen Forest, a Pyrrhic victory that accomplished nothing except the deaths of thousands of American G.I.s and thousands more wounded including those afflicted with PTSD, then referred to as, shell shock and combat fatigue. The unlucky divisions were the 28th Infantry Division and the 4th Infantry Division. Both were severely mauled to the point of combat ineffectiveness at which point they were withdrawn to the rear for reconstitution and rest. Eventually both divisions returned to combat, although reputedly still understrength.
Decades ago a book was written about the 106th "Golden Lions" Infantry Division, aptly titled, "Death Of A Division".
I like the way you ended Battle of the Bulge Part 2 with Hemingway and this segment with Vonnegut.
Hey thats my grandfather in the front, he's not surrendering he's waving , he's saying hi everybody
I love your videos. Great quality (editing and storytelling). But in this video, the pronounciation of the german names is... let's say there is room for impovement. It's normal that you cant prnounce every foreign name perfectly, but putting the stress on the correct syllable is definitly doable. Historograph asks his audiance to record some of the names he doesn't know how to pronounce. You can here that he tries to pronounce it as acuratly as possible. I would love to help you with that! (but again: your videos are awsome! Keep it up!)
My Father was in the 10th Armored Division during the Bulge. The 101st Airborne got much of the credit during this battle. However, my Fathers unit, Combat Command B of the 10th Armored, held off the German advance for a full day until the 101st arrived.
9th Armored Division and it’s Combat Teams slowed the German Spearhead at St. Vith, hard battles at various choke points and bridges, gave General Eisenhower and Bradley time to Respond and contain the German Attack .
The Volks Grenadier Divisions were awful and had very young and very old members who had little to no training. The mention of the VG units charging forward screaming - those guys got slaughtered doing that.
Hitler didn't trust the Regular Army any more so he formed new units instead of sending the men he used to the Veteran Units as replacements.
He also liked having lots of divisions - so - he wouldn't disband units that had lost all their combat units. The combat units in a division - take most of the casualties - so you'd have all these Head Quarters and Support units left but the division no longer had any combat power. Not receiving any replacements for their combat units these rear area personnel would have been better used if the division was disbanded and they were sent to help fill out other units.
Over all - for a nation with severe man power problems - in addition to intentionally murdering millions of their own citizens - they squandered their men and equipment in various units that existed for internal political reasons. The Luftwaffe for example - had an Armored Division ...
.
I have to say that 10:20 is not quite correct. The surrender at Harper's Ferry in 1862 resulted in 12,419 surrendered.
I think you're being a bit pedantic here, a quick Google gives 78,000 troops captured in the fall of Baatan, 66,000 Filipinos and 12,000 Americans. Yes, 12,000 is less than 12,419 but just how accurate was record keeping in in 1862, or 1942? For Baatan the figures are fairly obviously rounded, if not actually estimates. It's a bit like the 'longest gunfire hit' in naval warfare, it could be HMS Warspite on Guilio Cesare, it could be Scharnhorst on HMS Glorious. Simple answer is we'll never know, we don't have the evidence to decide conclusively 🙂
@@gwtpictgwtpict4214 erm that's not really what I meant. I meant that Harper's Ferry was the second largest surrender.
@@gwtpictgwtpict4214 these nice round numbers sounds to me like a wild ass guess: "78,000 troops captured in the fall of Baatan, 66,000 Filipinos and 12,000 Americans."
@@fraternitas5117 Basically the point I was making I think?
My deepest disgust and loathing to the other US officers who wanted those cut-off regiments to fight with no ammo nor food.
If you didn't even get emergency rations, there's really nothing you can do....
I do not blame General Jones for being left claw-less due to bad logistics.
You say that, but I bet the lads in Singapore or Bataan would have rather been told to fight to the death.
An excellent day today. I spent far too much on a watch I don't need, then I got to watch several back-to-back videos of The Operations Room & The Intel Report.
As a former Cav Scout, I what to know what happened to them
Great video Thank you
Terrific video!
I always wondered why they didn’t try to breakout and rejoin allied lines. Now I know they did, and it makes a lot more sense.
Richard Matheson(1926-2013), the American author of "I am Legend"(1954)
served in Europe with the US 87th Infantry Division, during the nazi Ardennes offensive.
He later wrote "The Beardless Warriors"(1960) as a tribute to the heroic green warriors of the 106th.
Unbelievable, and in my opinion unacceptable lack of leadership that resulted in the surrender of soldiers faced with abandonment by their top commanders. Of course, I can only arrive at my conclusion from watching this film of the "debacle" without knowing anything about this part of the great battle known as The battle of the Bulge.
Excellent work
"Schneyyy Ihfell" :3
Excellent, but it is prounounced Snee Aifel, like in Eifeltower, not Iefel.
Nicely done video
This video is a mere proof of the saying "Winners write the history." Without it is impossible for us to see how "mighty" u.s. army fallen once...
Nice video! Small tip; “Schnee Eiffel” is pronounced as “Sch-nay Eye-fel”
"Behind the mass surrender in Bataan during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines."
I'm a Filipino subscriber, and I look forward to TOR and Intel Report videos on the fall of the Philippines, life as a guerilla fighter against the Japanese occupiers, and the liberation of the country. Would be nice.
Sorry to correct you: Eifel is pronounced the same way as the Eiffel-tower in Paris. Schnee-Eifel means snow Eifel.
great vid
The 18th Airborne Corps 17th, 82nd and 101st wouldn't have surrendered, and infact they did not. Their training and doctrine was to fight surrounded with limited supply and ammunition. Also they had the best leadership and were highly motivated.
We’re paratroopers Lt. we’re supposed to be surrounded.
-Capt. Richard (Dick) winters, Band of Brothers.
@@carlambroson8872 sadly the verdebe russian paratroopers didnt take that note
Doctrinally and logistically a regular infantry division is dependent on a continued supply of everything. For example without its artillery having shells the combat effectiveness of such a division is a fraction of what it is meant to be.
82nd and 101st had just finished operation Market Garden, during which they were often fighting German Panzer units, two months earlier.
Most American combat units did not surrender, airborne or otherwise.
A very good video.
it took 68 years for me to hear this story about the dirty laundry of the " liberators " & their bungling superiors...
This just illustrates the futility of war. Young inexperienced Germans, fighting young inexperienced Americans. Neither of whom really wanted to be there, fighting a war created by a madman.
Great stuff! Just a heads up though - it's 6th as in siks-th, not sik-th.
Any info about how many POW survive?
What happened with the son of Johnson or Jones?
UA-cam’s censoring of Nazi material has made the reality of the fanaticism shown in this video (H. youth bringing his trumpet to urge his comrades on) surprising when it should be taught in schools to get a better understanding of what really happened. Thank you for an historically accurate and engaging video!
Thats all part of the blood and soil doctrine! The brotherhood is rock solid and palpable
It was directly tied to Hitler Youth. Trumpets are beautiful, I’m suggesting there should be more material like this on UA-cam.
That youth did nothing wrong and everything right.
@Der Frosch-Prinz Aus Bayern Because you lost the bloody war.
Great book that everyone should read. Slaughter House Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
you're videos are very entertaining and informative, however; I think your videos would benefit from you speaking in a slower cadance, as the constant stream of information can be a bit overwhelming, at least for me.
A lot of U.S. soldiers in Europe only saw very little battle action.
Never thought I’d hear of my hometown hero writer on the operations room, or adjacent content.
He used to say the reason he was such a good writer is because he was ‘a boy from Indiana’
He’s simple and brilliant.
Except that Slaughterhouse 5 is a massive exaggeration and the POS later apologized for his bullshittery?
@@TheSolongsidekick What are you talking about? The book is a work of fiction that includes aliens!
@@eegles Wow really didn't think I had to clarify such an embarrassingly simple idea, but his mentions of the Dresden bombings and the casualty numbers massively exaggerated.
Is this when Billy Pilgrim was captured?
Yes.
Once it kicks off all previous plans go out the window, war is hell
A sad chapter in the history of the United States Army.
A total lack of leadership , bad or none communication is what did them in .
Meanwhile in 1942, British in Malaya and Singapore be like
You mispronounced Eiffel.
Yesterday proud soldiers are fighting. Tomorrow, sad soldiers as prisoners. This the war. No glory, just suffering and pains.
Nonetheless the Gringos are good at erasing their humiliation through cinema so nobody would ever know it
Thanks for this brilliant battle report. But one remark as a German speaker, please learn how to pronounce German places and names, it would make a difference. Cheers
8:10 That's such a gangster move hahaha imagine hearing that as a King Tiger rolls out of the forest
I think maybe about 24.000 Americans surrender in the course of the battle. This was one of Montgomerys biggest fears in the Normandie campaign. That German armour would get to the poorly trained and inexperienced American troops !
>"about 24.000 Americans surrender in the course of the battle"
Not quite. That number includes losses sustained in the Ardennes-Alsace campaign as a whole, not just the Battle of the Bulge.
>"This was one of Montgomerys biggest fears in the Normandie campaign. That German armour would get to the poorly trained and inexperienced American troops"
Given that the German armor failed in the Ardennes, it's apparent that Montgomery's opinion of American troops were unfounded.
26,000
Not the first time we've had our asses handed to us, and certainly not the last. The trick is to wipe blood off your face (and change the underwear) and get back on your feet.
Most recently Afghanistan.
@@bryonslatten3147 Every country has lost a war sometime, your point is smartass?
The trick is not to fight for global finance
*Such numbers of new prisoners to clothe and feed must have meant absolute terror on the already heavily burdened German logistics*
10:20 this would not be the second largest surrender in US Army history.
The second largest surrender, and largest until the Philippines, was the surrender of some 13,000 men at Harpers Ferry on September 15, 1862 to confederate general Thomas Jackson.
The Largest US Surrender In Europe in WW2 - The Infantryman's Perspective
Civil war doesn't count.
@@JohnSmith-un9jm why not? They’re still American soldiers in the US Army serving their country.
0:56 is that Endless War: Defense???
It always comes back to leadership...or lack thereof..
Good thing nothing was done by high quarters ie doing recon in force to see what was going on in the German lines 😳🙈🙊🤔🫣
Weird, Kevin Spacey fought at the Bulge?
Does playing music from home actually work like that? I feel like I'd be encouraged by it, like "Listen to this banger!"
but if say 2 others in your squad are affected thats enough to cause incohesion ?
@@Rusty_Gold85 I just don't understand why it would have that effect at all, on anyone. You're surrounded by people from your country, you speak the language of your homeland, you send and receive letters to and from home, you probably have a picture of a girlfriend from back home with you, and some of those same songs might get played when the USO comes along.
It only works if your side is already afraid.
@@jdotoz You're sat in a hole in the ground, in freezing cold weather, short on warm clothing, food and water. You're far away from home, there's a bunch of people with artillery, tanks, mortars, machine guns etc who want to kill you and you can't understand a word the locals are saying. USO are nowhere to be seen and you're looking at a picture of your girlfriend. I can see that tunes reminding you of home could be somewhat demoralising.
@@gwtpictgwtpict4214 When I deployed I brought music I liked with me.
schnay eef-L
imagine knowing you are rushing to a certain death but instead of complaining you pull out your Hitler youth trumpet and use it instead of a fire-arm, just to encourage your brothers who were probably feeling the same way as you...he took 1 for the team, that's how you win a battle.
Are you talking about "Schnee Eifel"?
(schnee = snow and Eifel= region home yo the Eifel tower)
cuz there is no word called "schnei iffel"
FYI: The Eifel region in Germany has NOTHING to do with the Eiffel tower in Paris, apart from the pronunciation.
@@BasementEngineer I figured
thanks for telling and confirming
I appreciate it!
just Googled: the tower is actually named after the guy who designed it, correct?
also there is one with a single "f" and AFAIK there us one with two "f"
but I can never tell what's what
@@NorroTaku For non Europeans it may be difficult to remember the appropriate spelling.
But as you found out, Eiffel is the name of the French engineer who designed and built the tower for the world's fair that year.
Four videos!
The blame is squarely on Bradley and his boss.
US casualties in the Snow Eifel vary so much in part because the figures of killed and prisoners used usually only cover the 106th itself and not the independent units attached to it (x2 artillery battalions and a tank or TD btn) which were also mostly wiped out.